Goal is to crack top 50 by 2018
A commitment to getting better is underscored by the three hours he spends on the court each day and of the four days he trains in the gym each week.
“I don’t want to play squash unless I can play it at the highest level possible,” he said. “At times you can get tired, but not if you’re enjoying yourself, and I’ve had a pretty successful year.”
That’s a bit of an understatement. Since the pro tour season began last October, Sachvie has done a lot more than “show up.” He won a tournament in Minneapolis a month into the season for the first victory of his pro career and shot to 67th from 155th in the world rankings.
His goal going into the 2016 was crack the top 100 in the world rank by year’s end. Mission accomplished, as he fell to 89.
“This was a rebuilding year for me,” Sachvie said. “I wanted to get my ranking up.”
With draws at top-money tournaments overseas limited to 56 players, Sachvie expects to be invited to more of these events now that his world ranking is within striking distance of that magic cutoff.
“Because of my ranking I can actually qualify for some of the biggest tournaments,” he said. “If not everyone gets into the big events, I should get a chance.”
Being among the top 50 in the world on Jan. 1, 2018 is Sachvie’s next goal.
“It’s pretty tough competition, but if I don’t make it I definitely will be on track.”
A 12-0 record in the men’s open flight at the Canadian Squash Championships held in Toronto earlier this month did more than elevate him to the No. 1 ranked men’s player in Canada. It also earned him a berth on the national team that will be competing at the World Squash Federation Men’s World Team Championship Nov. 27-Dec. 3 in Marseille, France.
“It’s opened a lot of doors for me,” he said after being ranked No. 1 in men’s squash in Canada.
Unlike some competitors on the pro tour, who were in their late teens when they began travelling the circuit, Sachvie’s body has endured less wear and tear due to his four years in the Ivy League.
“I didn’t play all that much,” he said of juggling athletics with academics at Cornell.
With the prime for men between 28 to 30 at the highest levels of the sport, that should help him going forward.
However, those numbers aren’t etched in stone – let alone, engraved on a championship trophy – given that the No. 2 player in the world is 34 years old and the fourth-ranked player is 35.
“Maybe physically they’re not in their prime, but they are so honed in mentally.”
While prestigious, the Canadian championships, which followed by a 12-1 record on the way to taking the title at the Northern Ontario Open in Sudbury, can’t compare to that first pro tour victory in Minneapolis.
“There was no feeling like it, I was floating around for a week,” Sachvie recalled. “I thought to myself ‘I want more of this.’”
He is dedicating the Canadian championship to his late father.
Mark Sachvie died of a heart attack at age 56 in November 2013. The longtime employee at General Motors in St. Catharines was racquets director at White Oaks as well as director of the world team squash championships at the time of his death.
During his 32 years at White Oaks, the Ontario Squash Hall of Fame inductee served as president of Squash Ontario and coached thousands of players, including many who, like this three children, when on to play at colleges and universities in the United States.
Over the course of his career Nick Sachvie has worked with some coaches who were “more technical” than his father, but none as inspiring.
“He always got me, he knew what I was going through, and he knew how to reach me. This is for him,” the son said as he held up the national championship trophy.